“But look, upon your beard the dew is bright,
  Chill is the winter fall:  let us go in.” 
Then moved they slowly downward till a light
  Shining the door-post and thonged door between
Showed the square Prince’s House.  Out of the night
  They passed the sudden rubied warmth within. 
Curled shadowy by the wall a servant slept: 
A sleepy hound from the same corner crept.

Soon were they couched.  The young man fell asleep;
  While the old Prince drowsing uneasily,
Tossing on the crest of agitations deep,
  Dreamed waking, waking dreamed.  Then memory
The unseen hound, did from her corner creep
  Into his bosom and stirred him with her sigh
Soundless.  And he arose and answering pressed
Her beloved head yet closer to his breast....

Happy those years returned when first he strode
  Beside his father’s knees, or climbed and felt
The warm strength of those arms, or singing rode
  High on his shoulders; or in winter pelt
Of dread beasts wrapt, set as his father showed
  Snares in the frosty grass, and at dawn knelt
Beside the snares, and shouting homeward tore,
Winged with such pride as seldom manhood wore.

—­How many, many, many years ago! 
  There was no older man now walked the earth. 
Had all those years sunk to a bitter glow,
  Like the fire lingering yet upon the hearth? 
Ah, he might warm his hands there still, and so
  Must warm his heart now in this wintry dearth,
Till the reluming sunken fire should give
Warmth to his ageing wits and bid him live.

Even this house!  It was his father told
  How in the days half lost in icy time
Men first forsook their wormy caves and cold
  To build where the wind-footed cattle climb;
And noise of labour broke the silence old
  By such unbroken since the sparkling prime
Of the world’s spring.  And so the house arose,
A builded cave, perpetual as the snows

On the remotest summits of the range
  Hemming the north.  Then house by house appeared
’Neath valley-eaves, and change following on change
  Unnoted tamed earth’s shaggy front.  Men heard
Strange voices syllabling with accents strange,
  By travellers breathed who, startled, paused and feared
Seeing the smoke of habitations curled
Above this hollow of an unrumoured world.

Startled, they paused and spoke by doubtful sign,
  Answered by hesitating sign, until
Moved one with aspect fearless and benign,
  And met one fearless, while all else hung still. 
And then was welcome, rest, and meat and wine
  And intercourse of uncouth word, as shrill
Voice with deep voice was mingled.  So they stayed
And to astonished eyes strange arts betrayed.

By them the oarage of the wind was taught,
  And how the quick tail steered the cockled boat. 
They netted fruitful streams, and smiling brought
  Their breaking wickers home, too full to float. 
And opening the earth’s rich womb they wrought
  Arms from the sullied ore; and labouring smote
The mountain’s bosom, till a path was seen
Stony amid the flushed snow and flushed green.